OpenTV wins patent case against Apple

A German court has ruled against Apple in a video streaming patent case brought by Kudelski’s OpenTV unit. The ruling states Apple products sold in Germany must not use streaming software that infringes OpenTV’s patents. “The [Open TV claim against Apple] claim is predominantly valid and well-founded,” the court ruled.

The suit was filed in Düsseldorf in 2014 about three patents owned by OpenTV and its sister company Nagra. Several Apple products and services had been alleged to be infringing the video streaming patents — including its iOS mobile devices, Apple TV, App Store, and OS X-based personal computers.

It’s unclear what steps Apple will be taking to comply with the ruling or whether it intends to appeal.

Kudelski group is taking further action against Apple filing a alleging Apple was infringing patents for accessing interactive content on smartphones and computers. That case is ongoing.

The group has also filed multiple suits against Netflix in recent years — also in the US and Europe. However the two agreed a settlement early last year after Netflix prevailed in several of the suits. Nagra now integrates Netflix into pay-TV set top boxes that use its technology.